panic attack

Panic! At one point (or more) in our lives, we will experience a panic attack. Shortness of breath, gripping fear, overwhelming worry, and a physical signal that something isn’t right! Think back to the last time you had a panic attack. What thoughts were whirling through your mind? Were they thoughts of “don’t do this, don’t go there, turn around”? Did you stay the course and move forward or did you take a different path?

Panic is our body’s way of giving us an early warning to change direction. It may not need to be a huge directional change, but your higher self is sending you an urgent text message that what lies ahead is not in your best interest. Some people suffer from chronic panic attacks, sometimes occurring everyday; while others suffer only a few in their lifetime. If you suffer from frequent or chronic panic attacks, have you ever spent the time analyzing them to find a common theme? You might find that your higher self is trying to get a message through to you.

I remember having a significant panic attack in October 2003 as I was driving from Michigan to Virginia to finalize my move for a new job. This was not a move that I wanted to make, but a move that I had to make for employment. I was on the I-70 expressway in Maryland near Frederick and I could not breathe. My mind was racing, I broke out in hysterical tears, I was consumed with fear, and every cell in my body was telling me to turn around and go home. I had to pull over on the side of the road and it took about 30 minutes to compose myself. I did not want to move, I knew that it was the right path for me to take, but I felt compelled to accept this national level job given that I could not find work in Michigan in my chosen field.

Eleven years later, things have turned out fine but it was a difficult road for the first 3 years and the path has always had some underlying struggle. I did not listen to that inner voice giving me a physical signal to stop and so my path from that point on was not a smooth path.

If you ignore a panic attack, it does not necessarily mean that your life will fall apart. You can certainly make the path the best that it can be like I did, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the right path at that time. What it does mean is that you are taking a more difficult route, a route that is not the best for you at that time. In the Law of Attraction, our emotions and our body send us signals when we are out of alignment with our true path. The messages start as a little voice in our head, then signals to change course, and then a full on physical panic attack to finally get our attention. We ignore these signs because often we feel that the path we are on is the only path. There is always more than one path.

What should you do if you’re in the middle of a panic attack? Place some Lavender or Peace & Calming essential oil in your palm and inhale, or put a drop or two of Grounding oil on the bottom of your feet. Hold a grounding crystal such as Black Tourmaline or a calming crystal like Blue Lace Agate. Lie down and listen to calming music. Then listen to what your body and inner voice are trying to tell you. Do not block the messages; instead, write down what comes to you.

My panic attack taught me that I could plow through the panic and make a good life, but it was difficult and I would choose differently in the future. My panic attack taught me that there are always forks in the road, every single day. My panic attack taught me that when we ignore these signals, we are only making life more difficult than it has to be. My panic attack taught me to trust my inner voice and my physical early warning system. Your inner voice is never wrong, so trust it!

About Allie Phillips:

Allie is a unique combination of self-empowerment coach (Certified Law of Attraction Counselor and Life Coach), energy therapist (Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Instructor, and Advanced Crystal Master), award-winning book author, attorney and nationally-recognized animal advocate. Whether it’s wanting more freedom, creativity, loving relationships, financial security, wellbeing, relaxation, or adjusting to the energy of our new world … she looks at each person and animal holistically and creates a well-being plan. She holistically combines these methods to help people gain control of their lives and to help animals live with comfort in our hectic world. It worked for her and will work for you! She particularly loves helping our animal companions because for those of us who have them grace our worlds, they are our soul mates.